Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) Stock Price Down 1.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) fell 1.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $85.68 and last traded at $85.77. 5,887,876 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 17,620,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BABA shares. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Alibaba Group from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Alibaba Group in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alibaba Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Alibaba Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alibaba Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.07.

Alibaba Group Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.83. The company has a market capitalization of $199.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.35.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 15th. The specialty retailer reported $15.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $13.19. The firm had revenue of $236.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.45 billion. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alibaba Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Generate Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Alibaba Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $12,656,000. SRN Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Alibaba Group by 76.7% during the first quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 22,259 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 9,663 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in shares of Alibaba Group by 63.9% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 28,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after purchasing an additional 11,192 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 6.5% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 822,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $87,327,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $631,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.47% of the company’s stock.

Alibaba Group Company Profile

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands, retailers, and other businesses to engage with their users and customers in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates through seven segments: China Commerce, International Commerce, Local Consumer Services, Cainiao, Cloud, Digital Media and Entertainment, and Innovation Initiatives and Others.